


do justly now

by be_themoon



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 09:22:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/be_themoon/pseuds/be_themoon
Summary: We are always protected.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	do justly now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rthstewart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rthstewart/gifts), [Snacky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snacky/gifts).



The message comes on the cusp of fall, delivered by a patient bluebird perching outside her window. He (as you could tell by the brightness of his wings and the heavy rust on his chest) tapped his beak patiently against the glass and then waited, tapping again after a few minutes when it was clear he hadn’t quite gotten her attention yet. 

Ruth (who at the moment was going by another name) took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose before putting them back on. Getting up would surely disturb Thorin from his ever present position at her side, but a bluebird message should not be ignored. She moved as slowly and gingerly as she could, but couldn’t escape Thorin’s reproachful gaze as she opened the window. 

“The timing,” she said to the bluebird reprovingly, “could have been a little better.” He chirped gently at her, lifting his leg for her to remove the small capsule, and then rubbed his head against her hand before taking off, soon just a speck in the clear autumn sky. 

Ruth unscrolled the message and read it, then read it again and looked back at her patient dogs, both of them watching her with alert attention. 

“Oh dear,” she said to herself, and then pulled her cell phone out and called Snacky. 

Some distance away, Snacky (also going by a different name at the moment), picked up her phone at the second ring. 

“Hey there! One second, I think I might have someone trying something even weirder than the kidnapped wife -”

“I need you on the Rainbow Bridge.” It’s an interruption, but Snacky takes it in stride because Ruth always has a good reason for those, and this is certainly a good one. She leans back in her chair, looks at the papers she was grading, and sighs. 

“Well, the timing could be better, but I can meet you at the North Gate shortly. I’ll take the umbrella.”

“Excellent. I’ll see you there.”

Ruth hits the red disconnect, and then looks back at her dogs and sighs. A few treats, a quick walk before she meets Snacky, and hopefully they won’t miss her too much for a few hours. It’s almost evening anyways, and she’ll need the North Star. Her work laptop stares at her accusingly, but sometimes other things are more important. 

“All right, time for a walk,” she says, and they’re both immediately at attention. 

+

Travelling by the North Star is a little tricky, but she’s done it enough that it’s fairly simple to catch the light and slip through until she’s at the gate, where Snacky is waiting for her. 

“Serious?” Snacky says, and Ruth hands her the slip of paper with the message. Snacky reads it, folds it back up and hands it back. There’s a moment of consideration, and then they both open up their bags, pulling out papers like knives and words as sharp as daggers, blankets of comfort and understanding. The gate has to be opened, as always. And behind their new charge there will be the horde. 

It is a thing they’ve done before, and will do again, but it never becomes rote. 

They don’t have to speak to know they’re both ready, and the gate creaks open slowly. 

The young girl who comes crashing through it is in tears, the doubting and questioning enough to do her in without the pain of being chased by others seeking to tear her back. They take her to the campfire and the blankets, tell her to wait there, and then start to slowly close the gates again. The horde arrives first, because it always does - shrieking creatures, yelling damnation and hellfire to the shrinking child now in their care. They throw their words, create a shield until the gates close, and then they turn and lean down to her, lifting her up. 

“If you like the blanket, you can keep it,” Ruth says, and Snacky smiles and pats their new charge on the back. 

“You’re safe here. Would you like to sit by the campfire for a bit, or would you like to head onwards?”

“Can we just sit and talk?” Her voice is shaky and uncertain, learning how to be something new. 

“Of course! Anytime you want. Even when we leave here, that will always be true.” They all tuck themselves in together near the fire, huddled and close, kindness and warmth. 

+

Ruth lets herself back into her house a few hours later, and hears the thumping of tails greeting her, Junior’s voice in the kitchen. Well, then. 

Home again, and home again. And now she’s brought one more person home to themselves.

**Author's Note:**

> For my fandom moms, who have been there for me and so many others for so long.


End file.
